Domain Name Commission Limited Board Minutes - December 2014
Minutes - Board Meeting 4 December 2014
Present: David Farrar (Chair), Lucy Elwood, Adam Hunt, Kenneth Johnston and Dave Moskovitz.
In Attendance: Debbie Monahan (Domain Name Commissioner), Winnie Cummock and Brenda Wallace (observer).
1. Register of Interests
The DNCL Register of Interests was updated. No conflicts were noted for this meeting.
2. Minutes of the last meeting
The minutes of the last DNCL Board meeting were passed as true and accurate.
It was confirmed that the proposed amendments to the internal policies, which were discussed in the last Board meeting (ie. Professional Services and Retention of Company Records policies) have now been approved by email.
3. Policy amendments covering resellers
Following the first consultation proposing amendments to the Roles and Responsibilities Policy (RAR) to cover resellers, DNCL discussed the topic at the Registrars Conference and Registrar Advisory Group meeting in November. There was support from registrars for the proposed amendments to the policy.
A draft paper was discussed and it was agreed that a public consultation will commence on 9 December, closing 27 January 2015. DNCL will also start developing a standard contract that registrars can use with their resellers.
4. DNCL Policy
Recent discussions within the InternetNZ Group, including those around the .nz Framework, have led to DNCL identifying some possible .nz policy amendments. These include topics that provide greater guidance to how the .nz market operates and is regulated. The possible changes were discussed with the Board and there was general agreement with what was outlined.
It was agreed that the DNC would write to the NZRS CE setting out the DNCL position and seeking comments from him about the possible changes. Comment will be sought by the end of January 2015 so the Board can discuss further at their February meeting.
5. EOY Forecast and 2015/2016 Budget
The Board noted the six monthly financial report and the end of year forecast. The draft budget for 2015 -16 was also presented and discussed.
The Board agreed that the DNC will revise the draft budget and present it to the Board in the next board meeting for final approval. It was agreed that the management fee for the 2015/2016 year will remain at the current level and that the DNC would formally advise NZRS of this.
6. Group Updates
Jordan Carter, Chief Executive of InternetNZ provided an update of InternetNZ current activities and project areas including community engagement.
Jay Daley, Chief Executive of NZRS and Richard Currey, Director of NZRS provided an update on work being done by NZRS and their experiences around the Registrations at the Second Level project.
7. Internal Policies
Three internal polices (Code of Conduct, Human Resources and Kiwisaver Employer Contribution) were considered by the Board as part of their review of all internal policies. Some amendments were proposed to all three policies and these will be done and emailed to the Board for approval.
8. DNC Reports
The reports for September and October were taken as read.
Various matters and statistics regarding the registrations at second level project were discussed and the Board noted the positive feedback received from the Registrars regarding the Communications Pack developed and provided for their use.
9. DNCL Work plan
The DNC spoke to the current work plan. There were no items on the work plan that needed further discussion.
10. .nz update
There was a wide ranging discussion of various governance matters by the Board.
11. Chair Update
The Chair shared with the Board information received from the Institute of Directors regarding Directors' Development training. The Chair encouraged the Board to identify any courses they saw value in attending.
12. Any other business
Changes to the 2015 DNCL Board meeting times were discussed and agreed.
13. Dates Future Meetings
The next Board meeting will be held on Tuesday, 17 February 2015.